The Beatles HELP Parlophone UK Mono LP 1965 Pressing EX+

$

135

Offering from my personal collection a 1965 pressing of THE BEATLES  HELP!  Parlophone Mono UK LP. Matrix numbers: XEX 549-2 / 550-2. Stampers 1G APG / 1G AAP. Comes with original EMITEX protective sleeve and additional protective sleeve.

Appearance:
Cover is in EX+ condition, Garrod and Lofthouse. Front and back clean and clear, close to as new. It isn't super white, but not dulled at all 
There are no visible spindle marks on labels, KT tax stamp on side 2. Extremely few hairline sleeve marks, mostly showing in run-out groove. From appearances looks unplayed and more just viewed from leaving it's sleeve. EMITEX sleeve is EX showing light discoloration.
Playback:
Overall rate as EX+ to NM. This album plays clean and clear throughout without much of any distraction. There may be a stray tic here and there, but really a joy to listen to. Even Yesterday is clean and clear without crackle. Rills are basically quiet also. Listening get the impression perhaps never played, if so once or twice.
This album from the height of The Beatles popularity is extremely hard to find in EX+ or better condition. This album is one that collectors will go through numerous copies to find one their satisfied with. I would consider this copy one of those. A collector's "keeper".

If you are in need of more particular pics, please ask and I will try to supply. I would consider this a collector's copy and for someone who has interest in actually playing it will enjoy it very much. Will be listing other Beatle UK mono 1st pressings, please inquire if interested. Thanks.

General comments:
Any playback on my end has been done on a Linn Sondek LP 12 with a variety of higher end cartridges. Albums have been cleaned with proper fluids on a VPI vacuum cleaner. Please keep in mind that all playback grading is subjective to stylus, cartridge, arms and VTA, and different people can get different results from the same lp. Also, please keep in mind that when spinning monaural lps it is best to use a mono cartridge, if not making sure that you have wired the deck or using a mono button on a preamp to combine channels to eliminate some anomalies that occur when using a stereo cartridge and stylus. Also, 4 + speaker systems may give a less than desirable affect and originally these albums were meant to listen to on 1 speaker systems.
Comment for those beginning to collect Beatles UK mono mix lps:
In 1982, the albums PLEASE PLEASE ME thru YELLOW SUBMARINE were reissued in box sets and individually both in the UK and Japan (1986 also). If one is interested in purely dead quiet vinyl, the Red Mono's from Japan are the hands down winners. They were culled from tapes supplied from UK EMI as they were never issued in mono originally in Japan. Unfortunately, the Japanese decided to do their own EQ'ing for their pressings which accentuated the high-end and bloomed the bottom. This had a tendency to make them a bit shrill sounding and the increased low end masks the lower mid-range where much of the detail of the recordings lie. So they sound generally very nice, they aren't very accurate or true to the original British 1st pressings:
Then there are the British reissues from 1982. They are pressed on UK vinyl of the time with a minimum of weight and generally not great vinyl. If played properly they sound pretty good and fairly clean. A few use original matrices so they will sound very similar to original tube 1st pressings, others are modern cuts and will sound different. They are cut from solid state lathes and are not cut from tube equipment. In general  EQ and feel are closer to the original 1st pressings than the Japanese versions, but they do not have the strength, power, and richness that original 1st pressings have. 1st pressings were also pressed on heavier vinyl. The reissues generally sound thinner.
Original British 1st pressings are what George Martin intended as finished product. Each title may have 1 or more matrix per side, meaning that George Martin may have had made subsequent EQ or mixing changes after the first rendition, some being more desirable than others. After you detune your ear from listening to digital you will find how comfortable they are to listen to, the louder the better and fuller. The better the turntable and cartridge the cleaner they will play. Of course this is The Beatles, and albums were played, and played, on equipment of that day, with most households having smokers (The Beatles were). Record cleaning, more refined stylus cuts, can help with getting great, satisfying listening albums. But even after all this, you may go through many albums to find those that were hardly played or played on very good equipment of it's day. When you finally get "that" copy, you really have something that either of the reissues just don't have. There is headroom, detail, clarity, and strength unique to them. They may not be rare as in there were so many produced, but finding clean copies is. They are valuable and not easily replaceable, hence the prices they go for.